WAIT OF GLORY

Our momentary light affliction is working for us a far more exceeding weight of glory, and this means that yours and my small hurts and pains which might seem horrendous at the time~~~~yes,even Cancer and heart problems, are just light afflictions in the eyes of God.God isn't dealing with our time frame either, so in the light of eternity, it is a momentary affliction!
I 've had Epilepsy for some 60 years now, so what is 60 years with Epilepsy out of 63, in the light of eternity?.....Get real!
They are just minutes; days and years that God has given that are working out for us a far more exceeding weight of glory, but I just happen to think the road to Heaven will be a far more exceeding "wait of glory" for us!
Becky

FRIENDS

One of the facets of my personality that is so strong, is that I love people!
I have more friends than I can count and they are all different too.
God created them this way, and they are needed at different times in our lives. Some friends are like shoes, and the way we wear them......
Just like those little slippers that are easy to slip on, some friends are just so likeable that we can just slip into their lives and are comfortable with just being around them!
Other friends are like sneakers.....
Those are probably the ones you put on in high school, and got in trouble with!
Then, there are the snazzy high heel shoes.......
They are usually the friends that make you stand up tall and proud and they make you feel so good about yourself!
One of my dearest friends reminds me of a boot......
Because she is always kicking my "behonkus" in Scrabble and challenging me.
Actually, there is a friend who loves you more than a brother, and He is Jesus!
He is the best friend of them all, with or without shoes!
Becky

ARMAGEDDON

Have you ever thought about this?
When vegetation and forests decay after long periods of time, they will eventually turn into, and form oil.One of our richest deposits of oil in the world today will come from
"The Garden Of Eden",( which is today Iraq) How much richer could you get than this?
When the end times does come about, and scripture is fulfilled there will be the battle of Gog and Magog. Satan will pull all the armies together, he can muster, to go against Israel, and to finance the Battle of Armageddon,they will do so with the richest of oil fields!The funny thing is, that satan is financing this very battle with money from the same oil that he caused to form, when he sent the world into its fallen state of decay! ~~~~~
No decay; no oil! No oil; no money!
God always wins......You'd think satan would learn!
Becky

LINGERING FRAGRANCE

Everywhere I go in my house, I have a reminder of my David. No matter how much I rearrange my furniture, I can always see his presence in the room. Even when I go in the closet, the fragrance of his cigarettes still lingers on his clothes. Those memories are a good thing though. He gave me so many lessons in integrity; work ethics, and the building of good character. Too many lessons for me to name, that will linger with me forever, but ones that I will remember daily in a sweet way!
The same thing can be said about our Lord too.
He left us the fragrance of His words when He went to Heaven, and they gave us His lasting impression on our lives. No matter where "we go",or how we re-arrange our lives, we will take the memory of our Lord,and His words with us,and the aroma of His love and sweetness will linger long after we have moved on! He too has given us many lessons to live by and they are ones that I love to remember daily in a sweet way too!
He's just that kind of God!
Becky

SALT & LIGHT

If we are to be salt and light to the world for God, may we NOT be as salt on a wound or as a glaring light to our Lord, but instead, let us be salt that makes us thirst for the word of God and light that shines for all to see the way to God!
Becky

LIVING COLOR

Just like in the Wizard of Oz, when it starts off in black and white, and finishes in color, when Dorothy lands on the wicked witch, so will our lives start off in black and white, but then finish in Living Color, when we land on and crush death, as we walk away with Jesus Christ!
Becky

HALLOWEEN

When little children get dressed up for Halloween, they will often put on masks, so that they can fool people with their disguises.
It's funny sometimes to watch,and many of them will receive a prize for their disguises!
One day, there will come one who will disguise himself by imitating the Savior of the world. He will fool the entire human race and deceive them into thinking that he is their savior, because they won't remember the words of the prophets or from our One true Lord, Jesus Christ, when He told them to beware of these things.
The little children's disguises are funny, and they win prizes, but the deceiver's disguise isn't funny one bit and his reward will be a one way trip into the Lake of Fire!
Becky

SECRETARIAT

As I watched the movie, "Secretariat" today, I marveled at what a wonderful job they had done in portraying this beautiful horse, but I also despaired at the comparison of him too! There could never be any horse that could compare to him, as far as I am concerned. When you've seen the real thing run, the imitation just doesn't compare!
One day, there will come one who will "try" to run the race for our souls too. He will come as an imitator of the real thing and will dupe people into following him as the Christ. Many will indeed follow him too, because they won't have remembered God's written word, which tells of this!
The antichrist will perform many miracles too, but they will pale in comparison with the real thing. He is only an imitator, and imitations don't last. They usually end up in the trash!...... This one will end up in the Lake of fire!
Becky

THE DESIRES OF YOUR HEART

Most of you have heard the scripture "delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart," but have you ever seen it come true?
I want to share with you how God gave me the desires of my heart in a very special and tangible way, in the hopes that it will be a source of encouragement and hope for many of you.Anyone who truly knew my David, knew that he was NOT a gushy type person, nor did he use affectionate terms when talking about his life.
That just wasn't David!I told God many years ago, that I wanted Him to do whatever it took to reach David Lock's heart, but to give me the strength to accept it and to give me a tangible sign so I would know for sure that he was in Heaven!
I had no doubt that He would do it, but I just didn't know how.About a week before David died, I woke up with the full assurance that he was saved for sure! It wasn't a feeling, but a " you know, that you know, that you know" assurance. ..............
Still, I didn't have my tangible sign!
About four days before David died, the administrator of the caregivers came by and said she had to ask David what he thought of his caregivers.She asked him, and came back and told me that he said "I am blessed'!In thirty seven years of marriage, I have never heard David Lock say he was blessed about anything!
(I might, but not David!)
This was as if God was giving me my tangible gift by saying He had touched David's heart sometime in the last week, and drawn him to Himself. I knew without a doubt He was in Heaven!......Blessed Assurance!
I gave God the desire of my heart and He gave me the desires of mine too! Now when I grieve, as I surely do, it's a joyful grieving. For only through Jesus, can joy and sorrow unite!
Becky

NO CLUE!

Most of the time, I had no clue what my David was doing, nor did I understand his reasoning behind what hew did. His word was good enough for me though. If he gave me his word, it was good enough for me.
That never stopped me from trusting him implicitly though, and knowing that he would provide for me, even though he wasn't around. I learned to trust him along time ago!
Most of the time, I have no clue what God is doing either, nor do I understand His reasoning. His word says, "My ways are not Your ways", so I guess I should understand that by now.
That doesn't stop me from trusting him, implicitly, and knowing that He will provide for me. He always has and always will, and He's not going anywhere!
Becky

REJOICE!

Read the news!
Read the Bible!
Rejoice!
Becky

MY TREASURE

God has been sustaining me so well throughout this time, and there aren't many times that I have broken down....yet. Today, however I ventured upstairs into the "unknown", and did just that! I went back into the upstairs bedroom where David's old chest of drawers was located, and in which he had squirreled away goodness knows how many little treasures. Folks I can't tell you how much time I took to remember those precious memories too. There was a box of Lanyards from the maritime academy, that I had to call Max about; a box of coins from who knows where; a belt buckle from Texas A&M Maritime Academy; cufflinks; a pipe(I've never known him to smoke a pipe either; some jewelry in a plastic bag; some bills from Portugal and Italy and a Braves baseball. I sat down and cried!
What a concoction of my hero's life!
He could tell you where every single thing was too!
"It's the little things that mar or bless the sum of human happiness"
I read that in one of my Grandmother's writing's somewhere, and that pretty much sums up how much those little things in life can tell about a person. Christ put more emphasis on our focusing on the fruits of the spirit, than on pursuing the gaining of wealth for ourselves, and I think if we could do that, we would indeed be the riches people in the world!
Becky

FALLEN

Remember the commercial of the little old lady who had fallen and whose words were" Help, I've fallen and I can't get up."?
That got me to thinking that all of us actually live in a fallen world and can't get up without the saving grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Becky

GARBAGE

I'm amazed by the number of garbage trucks that drive down the roads at Edisto and scoop up all the litter and garbage that has been dumped on the sides of the roads and then take it and dump it into a pile somewhere else!
You'd think that people would come up with a better way of getting rid of their garbage besides dumping it out on the sides of the road!
People are also careless about the way they dump their own garbage of anger; frustrations, and disappointments! Their words come out like individual garbage trucks that house and carry around all those negative emotions until they pile up so much that they have to dump them on someone else!
We shouldn't take their words personally, but smile instead at their words, as being a tool from the evil one.
We don't need other people's garbage in our lives, so just smile; wave a cheery blessing back and allow God to work His best in them!
Pray for those who spitefully use you!~~~~~~Garbage and all!
Becky

CREATIVE GOD

I get so tickled when I think of how my God takes care of my every need. Why, even as far back as when I majored in Physical Education, He knew I wasn't crazy about exercising, but chose to have me go into that field anyway, so when I had my shoulder replacement, He gave me my physical rehabilitation exercises to scripture!The best one is "Be still and know that I am God!"..... How creative of Him!
After my brain hemorrhage, I couldn't get up early in the morning to do my Bible study, so He chose to give me a great radio station (WAGP) with wonderful music to have my meditations through!
This creative God of ours will reach out His arms to help us in any way He can, when we call out to Him. I like His creative ways, and am pretty sure He's got some more up His creative sleeve!
Becky

KING OF KINGS

Several years ago, Coke tried to create a newer and better Coke product.
The public revolted! Coke apologized and brought the original back.
The imitation was thrown out!
Someday, in the near future, mankind is going to try and create a new King of Kings, but we are eventually going to have to humble ourselves and apologize to the real King of Kings, and throw out the imitation!
Becky

RESTORATION

Granddaddy Ray could take the oldest piece of furniture and patiently work on it until he had restored it into a new masterpiece! Oh, could he ever restore furniture. I have a beautiful tea cart that sits in my living room that he restored for me in 1947 when I was born. He even restored and old lawn mower into one of Mount Dora's first riding lawn mowers......albeit a funny looking one!
God has done the same thing with us! Just like He did with Miriam when he shut her up with Leprosy and then restored her to good health, He will also take the sinner and restore him to a good full life, through His Son, Jesus Christ! He creates in him a clean heart and renews a right spirit from within. A heart that is pure and filled with the desire to please God!
Talk about being restored!
That's using the King's polish instead of just furniture polish!
Becky

AMAZING GRACE

Grandmother Ray always contributed her specialty at Christmas, and that was her absolutely delicious Date Nut Pudding. It was my all time favorite Christmas dessert, but my children didn't care for it, so I stopped making it and opted for fresh Coconut Cake instead!
Date Nut Pudding is made with stale bread crumbs mixed together with some "secret" ingredients, and then baked, and a scoop placed into a goblet, with a caramel sauce drizzled over it. It was elegant and oh, so good!
(I even won an award for this recipe in a magazine once!)
You took the old ordinary bread crumbs, and turned them into something new.
When the ordinary person comes to know Christ, the old self is put off and the new is put on. He is a new creation! The old is gone! The new is come!
The finished product is an award winner!
Becky

WARM COURAGE/ HIGH HOPE

I took several years of Home Economics while in high school, and just loved it! In fact, I still keep in touch with my teacher when I go back to Mount Dora. She is still as young looking as she was then, and she is in her eighties now!
Part of home economics, was being able to be in the Future Homemakers of America, and I really loved that! The FHA motto was:
"We are the future homemakers of America. We face the future with warm courage and high hope."
I've often thought about that creed, and how much it resembles the Christian character. When we know Jesus, we can truly face the future with warm courage and very high hope!
Becky

THANK YOU

When I got back from Edisto this afternoon, I sat down and read some fifty cards and letters from folks that had just come in since I was over at Edisto this past weekend! I was absolutely humbled, folks. God has so richly blessed me with the love He has poured out on me from all of you. The words of love and strength coming from everyone have ministered to my hurting heart like a bandage to an open wound. I cannot tell you how much your words have encouraged me, and lifted my spirits. Thank you for remembering David's character and love for honesty, and the way you have sent me so many cards and wishes for strength is a blessing! By doing so, you have continued to promise to do your duty to God and country as every good scout would do, and that would make David Lock very proud!
My heart thanks you all very much for your love; support and cards right now!~~~~~
Becky

JM,TARA,& BEC

My God has continued to bless me throughout this weekend. My two best friends from elementary school arrived on Saturday afternoon, since they couldn't come to the memorial service, and they have worked and helped me do all those things I knew I was gonna have to do by myself! We have taken all of David's BSA shirts and BWSAR shirts and placed them in piles and boxes and placed them in the guest room! If you have lived with a scout for 37 years, you will have enough scout paraphernalia to have your own jamboree!(lol) We have cleaned out so many drawers and straightened underneath bathroom counters and drawers and thrown out medicines of David's that I probably could have gone on the black market and made a fortune!(lol again!) Tara and I have been best friends since we were introduced at age one. Jeanne Marie was a year behind us when her Daddy became the Methodist minister at our church, but we have made up for it in our loyal friendships over the years! They have done so much to make this transition easier for me and I owe them so much. "There is a friend who is closer than a brother" and I think I have two!
Tomorrow we will go look for another bed, and then they will head for home. I am so grateful to my Father for giving me their friendships and for them putting up with me all these years.
Becky

FOR GOD & COUNTRY

I told the director of the funeral home last week, that the first person people see when they come to a funeral or visitation are those men at the door handing out the bulletins. They are always nicely dressed and very nice, but that Jesus took the sting out of death and they looked like they were bound and determined to put it back in, when people walked in the door! I said I would have none of that and no one was putting the sting back in death and for everyone to be joyful, because this was to be a celebration of David's life and tribute to the glory of God!
I wonder why we always have to look so forlorn and morbid when we talk about death. I guess when people don't have any hope, they might be forlorn, but for crying out loud, someone comes along and gives you hope, isn't that a good enough reason to celebrate?
Jesus is the reason for the hope that lies within, and I was so touched by all the different aspects that people brought out in my hero. They saw things in him, that others never saw. Jesus did that too. He saw the best in mankind.
It wouldn't hurt any of us to be more like Jesus!
As far as I am concerned, I lived with one of the greatest men God could have created. Yes, he had his grumpy moments.....we all do. But, as for character; integrity, and love for mankind, there was none better!Jim Bradin said it best...."We had a giant walking in our midst."
I wish more people could have known his inner heart!
I chose to honor David this way, instead of the usual service, and I'm glad.
God gave me 37 years with him, and I have learned more about trusting in God through David and all his wisdom.
The nice thing is that David, although he is gone from me now, will be with me again, but my God will never leave me nor forsake me, and I will get to be with Him too!
Becky